Hajj Cancels, Hajj Funds Stay Safe, Taken Or Saved This Is The Consequence

Minister of Religious Affairs Yaqut Cholil Qoumas regarding the Hajj funds that have been deposited are safe, even though this year's Hajj is canceled. (Special)

JAKARTA – The government through the Minister of Religion Yaqut Cholil Qoumas and the Indonesian House of Representatives and attended by a number of Islamic organizations has announced that there will be no hajj departures or Hajj cancellations for 2021. For pilgrims who have deposited the cost of the pilgrimage (Bipih) on the regular (regular) and special routes no need to worry. Hajj funds can be taken or stored at the Hajj Financial Management Agency (BPKH) for departure the following year. What are the consequences if the Hajj funds are taken or otherwise kept?

The Minister of Religion emphasized that the pilgrims' money was safe. "Bipih payment deposits can be requested back by the pilgrims concerned. So the pilgrims' money is safe," said Yaqut at a conference in Jakarta, Thursday, June 3. He continued that pilgrims who did not go did not have to worry about their Bipih funds. The funds are managed by BPKH and stored in Islamic banks by prioritizing safe sharia principles.

Head of BPKH Anggito Abhimanyu. (Special)

If you choose to keep it at the BPKH, the Ministry of Religion will re-calculate it for next year's departure. He also guarantees that regular pilgrims and special pilgrims who have paid Bipih in 1441 H/2020 M, will become pilgrims during the 1443 H/2022 M pilgrimage. To facilitate access to public information, apart from Siskohat, the Ministry of Religion has also prepared a communication post in Directorate General of Hajj and Umrah. The Ministry of Religion is also preparing the WA Center which will be released in the near future. "This decision is bitter. But this is the best. Hopefully this COVID-19 test will end soon," he said as reported by Antara. Meanwhile, Head of BPKH Anggito Abimanyu detailed the amount of pilgrims' funds collected from both the regular and special pilgrimages he managed.

In 2020, as many as 196,865 regular pilgrims have paid off their funds, both initial deposits and paid deposits of IDR 7.05 trillion. Then the special Hajj has paid off 15,084 people, collected funds, both initial and paid deposits of USD 120.67 million. Of the number of regular pilgrims, there were 569 people who canceled, while 162 people canceled the special Hajj. He ensures that the funds collected are safe and stored in Islamic banks.

"We emphasize that all hajj funds are safe. The funds are now invested and placed in sharia banks with safe sharia principles," said Anggito as quoted by the Minister of Religion Yaqut Cholil Qoumas regarding the cancellation of sending Indonesian pilgrims in 2021.

If Hajj Funds Are Taken

The only thing that needs to be an important note as stated by Plt. The Director General of Hajj and Umrah at the Ministry of Religion of the Republic of Indonesia, H. Khoirizi in an interview with VOI on Wednesday, June 2. He said if the pilgrims who have paid Bipih withdraw their funds, the pilgrims will not be given priority for the departure of the next year's hajj.

This priority only applies to pilgrims who do not withdraw their funds and remain in the BPKH. So, for those of you who have paid off Bipih, you need to rethink if you want to withdraw the funds that have been deposited. The problem is that if the funds are taken, you have to register again like the beginning, aka queue at the waiting list again.

Plt. The Director General of Hajj and Umrah at the Ministry of Religion of the Republic of Indonesia, H. Khoirizi. (Doc. Ministry of Religion RI)

For pilgrims who can't go this year and don't withdraw their Bipih, there's no need to worry. “The government guarantees that pilgrims who do not leave this year will be prioritized for leaving next year. The first come first served system cannot be abandoned. Those who register first leave first and those who register later leave also later,” he said.

Regarding the Hajj funds that have been deposited, said Khoirizi, they are used for the benefit of the pilgrims, not for other things, such as funding for infrastructure development. "Until now, the pilgrims' hajj money is safe and not used for infrastructure funding in Indonesia. Hajj funds are managed and utilized for the benefit of the pilgrims," he said.